


The Car Crash

by LIKEABOSS1234



Series: Zalex Week 2k20 [1]
Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Car Accidents, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25106083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LIKEABOSS1234/pseuds/LIKEABOSS1234
Summary: A rewrite of the car crash and following events from 4x05.
Relationships: Zach Dempsey/Alex Standall
Series: Zalex Week 2k20 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818361
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	The Car Crash

Alex walks out of the room where he and Charlie had been talking. Charlie said he needed to get home and Alex decided it was about time he found Zach. He sees him smiling softly while playing the piano. Zach looks up and locks eyes with Alex. He smiles a sweet smile that actually reaches his eyes and motions for Alex to come sit with him on the piano bench. Alex feels butterflies in his stomach. So, he never got over his crush on Zach, but then again who could blame him?

“How has your Find Your Drink party been going?” Alex asks, sitting next to the other boy.

“Very well. I found many drinks, helped Clay get laid, got rejected by Chloe and played piano. Great night,” Zach says, before beginning to play a song he knew Alex loved.

“You did what now?” Alex asks,  incredulously .

“I found many drinks?” Zach asks, knowing that was not what Alex meant.

“No, I meant literally everything except that,” Alex says, rolling his eyes.

“Well, Chloe apparently got a boyfriend, Clay lost his virginity to the sheriff’s daughter and now he gets to drive my car,” Zach says.

“Wait, Clay lost his virginity to Valerie? I think that’s the best and funniest thing I’ve heard all night,” Alex says, “Also sorry about Chloe, I know how much you liked her.”

“It’s okay, I’ve been kind of a dick to her and I don’t really blame her,” Zach says.

“You really need to stop your drinking. You’re hurting everyone around you,” Alex says.

“No one cares about me. What are you talking about?” Zach says.

“I care about you. May cares about you. Your mom, even if she has a strange way of showing it, cares about you. Zach, so many people care about you and you just push them all away,” Alex says. He was about to continue when they hear a fight coming from the next room over. It’s Clay and some random guy. Zach goes over and pulls Clay off of the other guy. Alex can see Valerie visibly scared by one of her friends. Clay continues to scream who’s next and pushes Justin away from him. He then turns to Winston and Diego, saying that he’ll end them. It’s at that point Zach leads him away from the crowd. Alex follows them, not wanting to be left in this awkward situation. 

“I get to drive your car,” Clay says to Zach.

“No way, you’re way too drunk,” Alex says.

“Zach promised me,” Clay says. Alex raises his eyebrow at Zach. 

“Well, you can drive it once you’ve sobered up,” Alex says.

“Alex, we should just let him drive. What’s the harm?” Zach says, “I drive drunk all the time and do fine. Clay’s got this.”

“Fine, whatever, why listen to me?” Alex says. The three of them walk to Zach’s car. Alex gets in the backseat and Zach gets in beside Clay. Alex lays down in the back seat, Charlie’s cookies taking their toll on him. He can faintly hear Zach and Clay talking about something, but that doesn’t matter when he feels the car start speeding up significantly.

“What the fuck? Clay, cut it out,” Alex says. Clay doesn’t slow down, though, he continues to speed up. They start to go into the curb and when Clay breaks, they flip off the road. Alex  immediately goes unconscious when they hit the ground. 

He comes to later when he feels people walking all around him and hears someone yell his name. He opens his eyes and while it’s blurry, he can see his dad coming towards him. 

“Alex, what happened? Buddy, look at me,” Bill says. Alex looks around and sees Clay nowhere to be seen and Zach laying a few feet away bleeding and  unconscious . 

“Zach,” Alex says, softly, trying to move closer to the other boy. When he does, however, pain shoots up his arm.

“Buddy, Zach’s going to be okay. Can you tell me what happened?” Alex hugs his dad, crying into his shoulder. Bill rubs Alex’s back and presses Alex’s face into his back so he couldn’t see them taking Zach away to the ambulance.

“We’ll talk about it later,” Bill says, “Let’s get you to the hospital.”

Later at the hospital, Alex sits in one of the chairs, waiting for news about Zach. Clay had come to the hospital and Alex couldn’t stop glaring at him. Alex had gotten a broken arm and his leg was back to around the same way it had been when he first shot himself and the doctors said it was  possible he’d need his cane again. May and Ms. Dempsey come in a little bit later. May makes a beeline over to Alex and hugs him. 

“I’m sorry for Zach doing this to you,” She says.

“Well, keep this between us, but Zach wasn’t the one driving. It was one of our other friends,” He tells her. May loved Alex. Besides Zach, he was one of her favorite people so Alex knew she believed him. “Besides, something happened tonight that might make him want to get better.” 

“Really?” Her eyes light up.

“Yeah,” Alex says. 

“Zach’s out of surgery and he’s stable, but his knee is much worse than before, his arm is broken and he has a concussion,” Alex glares at Clay again when he hears that. Zach had come so far from November and worked so hard to get his knee better and now, none of that mattered. 

“You guys can go see him,” The doctor says.

“Ms. Dempsey? Could I go see Zach first? If that’s okay with you?” Alex asks, timidly. Karen Dempsey was a force to be reckoned with and he didn’t feel like getting on her bad side so he figured asking quietly and nicely would be his best option.

“Yes, of course. He caused all of this pain you’re in right now. You should tell him that,” Ms. Dempsey says, very passive aggressively. If only she knew it wasn’t Zach’s fault, but that it was the same guy who keyed Zach’s car last year.

He finds Zach’s room and knocks gently on the door. Alex hears a faint ‘Come in,’ and opens the door.

“Hey, Dempsey,” Alex says. That nickname had been their running joke since the first time they’d ever met. Alex limps his way over and sits next to Zach on the bed. 

“Your leg got fucked up again too?” Zach asks, angrily, “I’m going to fucking kill Clay.”

“Not right now. Do it when we’re off at college in a few months. No one will suspect you then,” Alex jokes. Zach reaches his good arm up and hits Alex gently on the arm. 

“You were right. I should’ve never let Clay drive,” Zach says.

“Yeah, I know I was right. He’s sitting in the waiting room, but as soon as I go back out there, I’m going to make him leave. Your mom thinks you were driving since the coward ditched us and basically left us for dead,” Alex says, “I told May it wasn’t you though.” 

“Okay, I don’t care if my mom thinks this is my fault. I don’t think she’s cared about me being her son since my knee got hurt the first time, but as long as May knows the truth, I’m good,” Zach says. 

“Okay,” Alex says.

“How’d our lives get this fucked up?” Zach asks.

“That’s an amazing question that I don’t think we’ll ever have the answer to,” Alex says. He moves to sit next to Zach in the bed. Zach looks down at him and Alex looks back up at him. They slowly lean in, but are interrupted when someone knocks on the door.

“Zachary Shan-Yung Dempsey, how dare you risk other people’s lives for your own problems? How selfish can you get?” Ms. Dempsey exclaims, coming into the room. 

“Mom, it was an accident,” Zach says.

“Just like it was an accident with your dad, except this time you could’ve avoided it if weren’t being such a disappointment,” Karen says.

“Get out, please,” Zach says, quietly.

“What?” Karen says.

“Get. Out.”

Karen leaves, hearing the venom in Zach’s voice. Once she’s out of the room, Zach breaks down. Alex wraps his arms around Zach. Broken sobs were coming from the other boy. Alex just runs his fingers through Zach’s hair.

“I’m so sorry,” Alex says.

“Why are you sorry? I should’ve never let Clay drive and now, you're back to where you were when you first shot yourself. I’m the one that should be sorry,” Zach says.

“First off, I can get back to where I was with my leg. I did it once and I’ll do it again. Second, I’m sorry about your mom,” Alex says, gently, “Zach, what she does to you, I’m just really sorry you have to go through that.”

Zach looks at the other boy. He really wants to kiss Alex right now, but knows it’s not the right time. Instead, he hugs him, as tight as he can.

“I love you Standall,” Zach says.

“I love you too Dempsey,” Alex says.

**Author's Note:**

> Official Tumblr for Zalex Week: https://zalexweek2k20.tumblr.com/  
> My Tumblr: https://fandomqueen6754.tumblr.com/


End file.
